Sentey Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series Headset Review

1. Introduction, Specifications, Pricing & Availability
2. A Closer Look, How They Feel and Listening Experience
3. What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

TweakTown's Rating: 78%

The Bottom Line

Sentey's Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series headset is leather, 7.1, has LEDs, and is only $29.99. It's the best under-$50 headset I've ever used and perfect for gamers on a budget.

Introduction, Specifications, Pricing & Availability

As the summary states, Sentey is new in the mainstream peripheral market and has a difficult mission on their hands - can they stand up to the big names already in the business?

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In this review, we will be comparing this 7.1 digital surround sound headset with other companies' offerings, including the previously-reviewed CM Storm Ceres 500. One major thing that this headset has going for it is the low price point of $29.99 and the fact that it's providing you with a whole 7.1 experience - what about the rest?

Specifications

Providing you with 7.1 digital surround-sound through the use of an inbuilt USB sound card, the 40mm drivers on offer push out a sensitivity of 98 +- 3 dB while the product weighs in at only 258g.

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Sentey has provided a great cable length of 9.8 feet which sees the USB 2.0 connection help push out the impedance of 32 Ohms and a frequency response of 12 ~ 25KHz. The ear cups are made of synthetic leather and the headband is adjustable through many different stages. There's also the in-line volume and microphone control box included which is lit up with red LEDs as seen with the actual product itself.

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The microphone has its own sensitivity of -38 +- 3dB and nominal impedance of 2.2 kO which all runs through the USB PC input.

Pricing & Availability

The Sentey Symph is extremely cheap at only $29.99 when priced on Amazon, seeing it fall in a category too low for free shipping - it's the cheapest headset we have reviewed to date.

What's in the box?

Featuring a handy user manual, driver CD, and apparently a carry-bag, this headset comes with everything that you need for your peripheral.

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The reason I say 'apparently' when I mentioned the carry bag is that it is listed online as being included with the product, but my sample did not include this option for reasons unknown to me.

What is great about this product is the Velcro tie that neatens and helps you coil the extremely long cable. This is something that Tt eSPORTS has been doing for some time with their products, but it seems other companies have not yet joined on to the idea.

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The driver CD is recommended as if you have slow internet like we do here in Australia, the 62.5mb download may cause you an extended wait.

PRICING: You can find the Sentey Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series Headset for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Sentey Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series Headset retails for $29.99 at Amazon.

Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at PLE Computer's website.

A Closer Look, How They Feel and Listening Experience

Let's dig deeper

At first the light construction may feel a little cheap, it's certainly much lighter than the CM Storm Ceres 500 in nature and the non-clamping nature of the design makes it feel a bit odd.

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However, after using it for a while, the fact that it doesn't clamp tight and is so light really rubs off on you. The headset almost fells like it isn't even there and you begin to forget any niggling issues you may have had when it was put on.

The fact that it has leather ear cups and is so cheap is a major plus as a whole. Leather in my opinion is much better as it provides more comfort, is easier to clean, and can better withstand the test of time. There's nothing worse than sweating into a cloth sponge for years, whereas a simple wipe with a damp cloth all over will see the headband and ear cups cleaned completely.

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The microphone is also quite small and non-intrusive. It's very thin and the bendable nature of the rubber construction means you can place it out of eyesight and right in front of your mouth.

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The main improvements I would suggest for this model would be to change the design to clamp slightly more as it feels like it could fall off your head, and also an increase in the thickness of the headband wouldn't go astray either - not just for aesthetic purposes, but for comfort too.

A Dota2 analysis

Currently my game of choice, Dota2, helps test out various different parts of your sound experience. There's higher pitched sounds like an Orchid being applied to an enemy, alongside the meaty whack of Sven's sword cleaving through an entire creep wave.

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This headset performs quite well and makes me question why exactly it's so cheap. What's my basic analysis? It sounds as good as the CM Storm Ceres 500 and the Tt eSPORTS Shock One HD 7.1 and will only set you back around 30% of these models from Amazon.

There is the common low-priced headset issue of slightly muddy bass and limited clarity when the going gets tough, however, it performs as well as models from companies whom have been in the business for quite some time - I'll mention some thoughts in the conclusion exactly why I think this model is so inexpensive.

Don't stop the music

Music is a big part of any gamer's experience these days. Services ranging from iTunes to Spotify keeps us connected to the musical world 24/7, whilst browsing Reddit, playing casual games, or relaxing while in matchmaking queue's.

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Listening in to Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' reports back a great experience. The clarity in the Sentey Symph almost rivals that of the HyperX Cloud I headset which we have reviewed previously, and comes in at around $100 off.

Moving on to something a little heavier like 'Ayy Ladies' by Travis porter and Tyga accentuates the muddy bass, providing a similar experience to the original Tt eSPORTS Shock Headset.

What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

What's Hot

The long-term feel: This headset may feel 'off' at first, but you'll come to appreciate it when the four hour gaming session comes to an end.

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Easy to clean: Sentey has used leather in the Symph's ear cups and headband, meaning a quick wipe with a damp cloth will keep your headset smelling nice and looking clean.

The price: It's $29.99!

Sound to cost ratio: It's the best sounding under-$50 headset I have ever come across.

What's Not

A little fragile: the light design makes it feel a little cheap, treat this product nicely to ensure it lasts for years to come.

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Muddy bass: As with most cheap headsets, when the bass drops it sounds like you've just dove under the bed covers - muddy and muffled.

Final Thoughts

So, the sound quality is nothing stellar, but it's a 7.1 digital surround-sound headset with leather ear cups and a leather headband for $29.99 - that's ridiculous.

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If you're a gamer on a budget and don't mind a USB-only connection, I would highly recommend this product to you.

The main reason I would say the headset is so cheap would be to sales pressures from various retailers. Coming from a peripheral manufacturer background myself, often retail stores will drive down your price in order to sell more units leaving you with no other options than to go along in order to clear units. In the end, this is where you, as the consumer, wins out - get Sentey Symph right now as your main set or a suitable backup before they run out.

PRICING: You can find the Sentey Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series Headset for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Sentey Symph SP GS-4531 Elite Gamer Series Headset retails for $29.99 at Amazon.

Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at PLE Computer's website.